On the CNN homepage today, there was a "Latest News" link to a video titled, "Was Chelsea or questioner out of line?"
Hmm. I clicked the link to see what the fuss was about. Apparently, someone at Butler University asked Chelsea Clinton a question about Monica Lewinsky, and she responded with a "verbal slap", "harsh words" and a "rebuff" according to CNN. CNN's Rick Sanchez said she "cut the guy off right at the knees".
Sheesh, what the hell did she say?
Wow. You‘re the first person actually that‘s ever asked me that question in the—I don‘t know‚—maybe 70 college campuses that I‘ve now been to. And I do not think that‘s any of your business
She didn't seem particularly angry, she wasn't raising her voice, and the words themselves didn't reach the level of a "slap" or a "stinging rebuke" as far as I'm concerned. Also, the audience applauded her response. I looked into other stories about the "incident" to see if I could place her words in context.
It was easy to find more discussion about the matter, since the questioner, Evan Strange, made the rounds and appeared on any talk show that would have him.
He appeared on MSNBC, on Verdict with Dan Abrams on March 26. He said:
Well, first, I just want to say exactly what the question was. I mean it wasn‘t just about Monica Lewinsky. That was the last thing the question was about.
He appeared on CBS's The Early Show on March 26th. He said:
…it's not something that, you know, I asked to cause trouble. It was to show those people, you know, what makes Hillary so strong, and it was basically an opportunity for Chelsea, you know, to show all the doubters, you know, how strong Hillary is.
He appeared on Larry King Live on March 27. He said:
Well, the reason why I asked the question in the first place is because it's an important issue on voter's minds, and I expected an answer that would show Hillary's strength.
He appeared on FOX 7 WTVW on March 27th. In the introduction, the anchor described the question, in her introduction, as asking if her mother's credibility was hurt by the Lewinsky affair. Strange started with:
It wasn't actually about credibility, it was about strength and what strength Hillary had to lead the country.
One thing conspicuously absent from any of these interviews was video of the actual question being asked. Every video clip starts with Chelsea Clinton's response. What's more, in none of the interviews that Strange gave did the interviewer ever quote it exactly, or ask Strange to repeat it verbatim.
An Associated Press report seems to quote the question:
Evan Strange, a Butler University student who works on the school's newspaper, The Butler Collegian, asked Chelsea Clinton her opinion Tuesday "on the criticism of her mother that how she handled the [Monica] Lewinsky scandal might be a sign of weakness and she might not be a strong enough candidate to be president." The question brought a stinging rebuke.
(The claim that he worked on the school newspaper was later corrected.)
Another version is quoted on the website for WISH TV 8 in Indianapolis:
What do you think about the way your mother handled the Lewinsky situation?
Shoddy journalism like this really pisses me off. The first question from any interviewer should have been "where's the video of the question?" and if that didn't work, the follow-up should have been "what was the exact question?" Putting her response immediately after either of the questions above makes it seem completely justified, in my opinion. This is so obviously a non-event that's been spun by "Clinton supporter" Evan Strange and gleefully trumpeted by Newsbusters and Rush Limbaugh.
I won't get into the whole "Chelsea won't talk to reporters" thing, and I'm not supporting Clinton in the primary, but shitty journalism should be everyone's enemy, regardless of who it targets.